


Among the Lanterns

by Jade_Sea



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, M/M, Prinxiety - Freeform, Two idiots making everything more complicated than it needs to be, will update tags as needed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-26
Updated: 2019-03-26
Packaged: 2019-12-18 10:35:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18248108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jade_Sea/pseuds/Jade_Sea
Summary: It's easy to miss the small stranger, hunched over on a distant bench in an empty part of the street, seemingly content with watching the flow of people come in and out of the shops.It’s only the slight shine of a magic-infused pearl that draws his eye.





	Among the Lanterns

Roman always loved the Harvest Festival. It was an excuse for people of all ages and backgrounds to come together, get drunk, and make bad decisions with good company. Logan also explained that it was a good opportunity for the small vendors in his little town to make some connections with the travelers coming in from the big city. 

He picks up small treats and tags while making his way through the crowds. Logan is expecting him to be there when his fiancé arrives, and he’s honestly very excited himself for the spectacles that usually follow after his friend’s bright-eyed companion. Shoving through a group fluttering around a puppet show, he nearly misses the shadowed figure. It’s only the slight glimmer of a magic-infused pearl that draws his eye.

It's easy to miss the small stranger, hunched over on a distant bench in the empty sidelines of the street, seemingly content with watching the flow of people come in and out of the shops. Said pearl dangling innocently from a sash tied at the waist. It most likely had been hidden beneath clothing and accidentally slipped out, unknowingly making the situation a bit more tense.

He can't help but be curious, most magic folk tended to shy away from festivals like this one, especially those that were strong enough to require the use of such a large pearl. You never knew where the royal guards could be lurking after all. 

“Can I help you?”

The wary voice startles him out of his daze and blushing, he realizes that he had been staring directly at the other for awhile. Like a creep. Good going Roman.

He scrambles to remember the manners Logan tried to instill in him. “The name’s Roman. May I ask how you are doing on such a wonderful night?” Roman throws in a wink, pulling up close enough to gesture at the empty room on the bench, “may I?”

Cautious eyes rolled in exasperation in response to the flirtatious tone, but followed him closely as he took a seat directly to the left, and narrowed as he reached for his pocket. Roman quickly put his other hand in the air in a show of peace and pulled out a neatly wrapped package from the folds of his clothing. Two freshly made cakes sat innocently in the middle. He holds one out to the stranger. “How about an exchange? One honey cake if you would be so kind as to tell me your name.” He sets his own down gently on his lap. “Emile’s cakes are the best in the whole kingdom after all.”

There’s a long moment before the silence breaks. “My name is Virgil,” he says, hesitantly taking the offered cake. The hands were quick to retreat however, and the owner followed suit, shying away from Roman as if he had a disease.

“Well Virgil,” Roman mumbles around his mouthful of cake, “I was just curious about what a traveler like you would be doing here. It’s not a very popular place, this village,” he eyes Virgil’s feather and fur lined garments, clearly suited for snow, “especially for someone who comes from the busy north.” 

Virgil looks out into the crowd still, occasionally taking a bite out of his own treat before finally responding. “A good friend wanted to visit, has a lover that lives here. Couldn’t refuse when he asked me to tag along.” He looks away from the bustle of people for a moment, meeting Roman’s eyes for the first time. “You should go, it's dangerous to stick around me.”

Whether it was a poorly concealed threat or a friendly warning, it didn’t matter. Roman was fully hooked at this point as there was no turning back. He can hear Logan’s sigh of exasperation in his mind, but Roman could afford to be a bit late. “I can handle myself well enough, and you seem like a friendly enough fellow.” He could feel the disapproving gaze as he stands up, sticking his hand out as an offer. “Care to accompany this lonely soul during the festival?” 

It takes another long moment before he felt a hand land gently in his, as if afraid to break him. Roman only grins and strengthens his grip in response. Victory.

A slight soft clink rings through the warm air and Roman’s smile tightens by a fraction. “You really ought to keep a tighter grip on that pearl, there are a couple guards here at the festival.” 

He watches Virgil’s eyes flicker with panic, likely about to snatch his hand away and flee, before he takes note of the way Roman had stood up. He’s awkwardly bent half over the bench, which may look like a terrible excuse of a bow to onlookers, but Roman can tell the exact moment the skittish man notices the way his form blocks the sight of the pearl from the rest of the street. 

Roman grins openly and, ever the gentleman, turns the movement into a full proper bow, further shadowing his companion and allowing Virgil to hurriedly stuff the pearl deep into his waistband. Once finished, Roman stretches out his hand once more, this time with much more confidence. 

The night goes on and Roman hangs onto every moment. He ignores the faceless crowds around them as he guides Virgil through the shops, stopping by once more at Emile’s bakery to pick up even more sweets. Roman, unsure of whether Virgil would have any Arian currency, graciously refused to let the other even reach for his money pouch. After a few hours, Virgil seems to accept his fate. He laughs when the puppet show ends, laughs when Roman trips over stray stones littering the dirt road, and smiles when children weave around their feet. 

They stand now waiting for the fireworks show that ends the first night of the festival. Roman has his arms full with the various masks and sweets that the two had bought on their romp through the shops. He snickers as he witnesses an old man chase down a cou0ple children, obviously having been pranked with sparklers, shown from the small ash smears adorning his robe. 

A small burst of light pops out right in front of him and Roman lets out a high pitched yelp before turning to identify the culprits. He should’ve figured they would go for him next. “Hey! You tiny menaces, get back he—“

He stops dead in his tracks when he spots Virgil, who has arms around his stomach, bent over from laughing. There’s a blatant trust in his eyes when he looks back up and at that moment, even when there are fireworks lighting up the sky and hundreds of lanterns hanging around them, Roman thinks Virgil’s smile is the brightest thing he’s ever seen.

They stop by a store at the very beginnings of dawn. It’s old Aunt Patty’s antique shop, one that Roman doesn’t step into much himself, having had no interest for antiques. Its cozy and out of the way, tucked away in its own corner of town. The smell of dust and old library books wafts from every section of the shop. Virgil had gravitated towards it, perhaps he liked the look of older furniture, Roman reasoned. 

Once inside the store however, one of the displays behind the counter caught his eye. It was a large handheld lantern, covered in gold and silver renditions of dragons and fish. Obviously an antique, with a style telling of the old empire that had ruled all four realms centuries before. It almost blended into the store background, half hidden under a pale tarp. However, its surface clearly lacked any dust or blemishes, showing years of care taking. It was clearly a beloved object. 

He walks up to the counter and the lady behind it. She was polishing an old knife but placed it gently down on the table to look up at him. “Excuse me miss, but would you happen to know if that lantern behind you is for sale? It looks quite valuable to be up for grabs.” Flashing a smile that he hopes is friendly, Roman leans forward to point at the lantern.

“Oh that thing?” The elderly store manager asks,”you’re right, it’s not for sale. Got dropped off by one of the merchants passin through a couple years ago, said the thing was a token of good fortune.” She turns back to Roman with a gentle smile,”You were thinking about giving it to that boy over there, huh?” She shifts her eyes to behind him.

Roman startles and follows her gaze to Virgil, who sneezes when he picks up a book coated in dust, then proceeds to frantically fumble with the book after losing his grip. The resigned tone of the old lady he was talking to snaps him out of his observation. “You can have it.”

He whips back around, puzzled. “Pardon? You said it wasn’t for sale.”

The store manager looks at him with eyes far too bright to be natural. “Take it as a gift, I can see what you two are. It’d be a crime at this point to not give it up.” She reached back to flip the cloth off of the lantern and presses it gently into his hands before he can even open his mouth to protest. “Take good care of this gift boy, I don’t like regretting my decisions.” She pins him down with a stare, and Roman felt as though she could see right through him. He stutters incomprehensibly, shock still in his system as he clutches dumbly at the heavy lantern. The manager gives him a wink not fitting of her age and shoves him in Virgil’s direction. “Now go get him!” 

After several stumbling steps Roman looks back at the shopkeep, offering a blinding smile as he finds his footing and steadily makes his way to his companion. They head out of the shop together, Roman trying and failing to hide the lantern behind him.

He gives up a couple steps away from the storefront, halting in his steps and forcing the other to look back and check on him. 

Virgil gives him a curious look, so open that it makes his heart flip, as Roman sticks out the lantern, posture rigid and arms sticking out in an almost defensive manner. “For you,” he says, overcome by sudden embarrassment,”Would you be so kind as to accompany me to the celebratory dance tonight? I heard there’s a dragon who’s agreed to perform this time, and the royal dancers themselves will be there. I’d hate to have to watch it alone.” He could practically hear his heart beating in his ears and he was sure his face flushed when he stuttered his proposition out. It wasn't nearly as smooth as his first offer, but this time there were implications behind his words as well, and it gave him immense hope.

Original shock fading, Virgil lets a small smile shine through and reaches out to accept the lantern, eyes glowing almost ethereally in the soft filtered light of dawn. 

That’s when the child standing near them faints. There was no warning before she collapses onto the ground with a dull thud, the vase of showers she had been holding shattering open contact with the stone beneath. The noise rings through the air for a moment, and everyone in the area turns at the sound. The air is still with slight shock for a second before those nearest to the incident start yelling, calling for a medic. By the time Roman processes what had happened, the girl was already being carried off to a nearby physicist’s store.

Roman himself fights the urge to immediately rush over to spare a glance at his anxious partner, but stops as he notices the distress coming off of Virgil in waves. He feels as if he’s rooted to the ground, watching as Virgil’s eyes fill with remorse and...guilt?

His dark clad partner is staring at the child in mortification, arms having dropped the wares haphazardly on the ground to instead wrap around himself almost defensively. 

Roman steps forward, reaching a hand out to reassure Virgil. “Hey, it's alright, she’s going—“

“This was a mistake.” 

Virgil’s eyes are wide and panicked. He shifts one foot backwards, arms still looped tightly around his middle. He’s gone before Roman can open his mouth.

He shakes an ominous feeling off. “Wait!” 

He rushes in pursuit, clipping the lantern haphazardly onto his belt as he ran, knocking into others. He ignores cries of indignance and offended grunts as he plows through the thick crowds. The sun hadn’t yet risen fully, and in the dim light he loses sight of the fur-coat clad figure. As desperation takes its hold, Roman ignores the dimming of the lanterns hanging above him, fires flickering out as he passed 

Then, the edge of the village stretches out before him, the unmarred dirt road carrying no evidence of Virgil running through. It’s as though he was never there to begin with.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I should work on the other au I have for bnha but things happen and this entire concept wouldn’t leave me alone.
> 
> Whoop I’m on tumblr  
> https://zennyo.tumblr.com


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